So it being christmas and all, some of my family decided to buy me some car parts. I decided to finish up my exhaust and to do something to modify my driving experience.

After a little serching and pricing I decided on the above mentioned mods. They both came fairly quick, and installations were a breeze. The shifter took about 15 minutes, and the exhuast took about 30 minutes.

The AFE shifter is extremely well constructed, and feels great. It has a very 'rifle bolt' sure feel to it, and the throws are very snappy and quick. Reverse is a little tougher to get into, as you can only press down about 1/2 as far as you used to on the shifter. Overall it is a great mod, lots of fun, and a great little change in the feel and driving experience of the car.

The RX8Store exhaust impressed me when I took it out of the box. The welds are all very thick and the construction is beautiful. It felt much lighter than my stock catback, although I dount know the exact weight difference. The polished tips fill up the exhaust shrouds very nicely and compliment the other polished bits on the car, such as my fuel door, strakes and $10 DIY rear bumper 'grille'.
The sound is amazing, exactly what I was looking for. Coupled with my Rotary Performance Catless midpipe w/res. the car has a nice deep strong tone at low revs, and past 3k sounds like a dream. At WOT it SCREAMS, sounds just like the sports car it is. The grumble and backfire when letting off the throttle is entertaining, and the car now spits fire without much trouble. Its just quiet enough at low RPMS to be incognito, but when you step on it it really sings... exactly what I wanted.

Couldnt be much happier with how my car is coming along at this point. In February I will have been a proud owner for a year, and so far I nearly have everything checked off my list short of FI and a few more visual modifications. Owning this car has been amazing so far, and every step further I go with it I love it more and more. Thanks for everyones help/info/advice thus far, and I am very greatful to have found such a great resource for my new obsession.

15k miles and Ive enjoyed every bit of it

 

I agree on the AFE shifter. It's the best mod. Exhaust iis next for me in the summer. I can't wait!

 

At last! After several months of oogling over the AFE short shifter, I ordered one on Saturday and got it today, Monday. I darn near, memorized Gomez' great DIY and was able to install it in under 20 min. The only tricky part, if any, were the white plastic bots (holding the wires) x2. RP, himself, emailed me instructions on how to remove them safely. This is what I did: I used 2 pairs of small needle nosed pliers. I squeezed the retaining pin (on the inside of the nut) with one pair and did the same with the other side. Once the pins were pressed away from the bolt, I simply lifted them out of place.

After installation, I placed a drop or two of blue lock tite (semi-permanent) and torqued the nuts down with mild pressure. Honestly, I was worried about cabin noise. I'm not a big noise fan, exhaust, intake or otherwise, so I was afraid of this as it has been the only complaint, if you could even call it that, I have read about.

What I expected and was looking for: I was not so much looking for a shorter throw as I was craving the "positive" engagement feel of each gear. I posted a thread a while back about metal shift bushings that I wanted to solve the lethargic feed back of the stock shifter. Also, I expected a loud tranny noise and maybe even a whine as it was hard to imagine what kinds of "noise" may be the result of replacing the shifter. I was also afraid that the slightly shorter shifter may alter my left arm position when driving. I've got the center console pad by Zeta that raises your elbow about 1/2," so I thought it may be too low.

What I got: The slightly-shorter throw is a plesant addition to the REAL DEAL of this shift kit. The FEEL. The positive engagement and feel of the shift gate is worth EVERY penny. Before, I'd second guess a gear at times and go back to neutral then back to the gear to make sure it's "in." With RP's shifter, if you don't feel a notch or "click" (not audible) then you are not in. It is near impossible not to get it into gear, however since the throw is shorter. The drop to reverse is just as positive as I can almost "feel" the "tooth" going under the shift plate. I have my **** screwed down all the way and do not notice any excess in vibration. There is a slight sound when downshifting, for instance from 3 or 4 into 2. It's not annoying or disrupting though. Just a sound that kinda tells me I dropped it into 2nd. The **** height has not changed enough to warrant changing my usual positioning. If anything, the stock **** fits better in my palm both ways I grip it--side and palm-down.

Do I recommend it? Hellzyeah! I say Mazda should either, buy these in bulk from RP or buy the specs from him! That way they can legitimatley claim the 8 to have a true short throw shifter. After all, the term is not only referring to the "short" throw, but also it's funciton as a "shifter."

In contrast with the stocker, the "feel" is everything! Mazda claims "Zoom-Zoom" to be the ecstasy of motion and spirited driving. RP's shifter gives that feeling in changing gears. In retrospect, the stocker seems so..."automotive" (sorry, I'm a motorcycle guy at heart so the term is meant to mean big, slow, and cushy). Thanks RP for a great product made just for our car.

What's next? I got the REVI setup, Radiator/AC screens, some rims, x-drilled & slotted rotors w/ Hawk pads, and a pair of evo-R eyelids comming in the mail baby!

My 2 cents.